1984 Reading Log Matteo TravostinoPart 1 Sections 1&2

Summary:

In a world where the only possession someone can have is their brain, the protagonist Winston Smith is constantly annoyed by the government and propaganda that is forced upon him. As a method of "paranoia relief", Winston keeps a diary where he writes antigovernment thing. He understands that if he was found out, he would be instantly executed, something that pushes his paranoia to the next level.

Geico: we found many ads for geico on sites like yahoo answers, ask.com. Geico ads are trying to say that they are 15% better than every other car insurance agency.

ATT: ATT constantly runs tv commercials that compare the connectivity and coverage between other companies such as Sprint and Verizon. (Found on channels: CBS, ABC, USA).2.

Both the Geico and ATT ads/commercials are trying to make people believe that they're company is superior to other companies in their field. They aim to have more and more people use their company than others.3.

It is a little bit disturbing that companies have to blatantly mislead their consumers to make them believe that they are the best company. When ATT airs commercials showing coverage maps to try and get more clients, they are using false information to trick their viewers into using their services.

1984 part 1 sections 3-6

Political Structure:

The Party consists of many inveterate sections; Minipax, Miniluv, Minitru, and Miniplenty. Minipax, or the Ministry of Peace, Deals with waging wars upon other nations. Miniluv the most callous of the ministries, does the opposite of what the name would suggest. They deal with torturing war prisoners from the other 2 nations. Minitru, or the Ministry of Truth, works on spreading false propaganda throughout Oceania. Minitru is the most clandestine of the Ministries, as the people who work there alter historical documents to make them how the government wants them to be. Miniplenty is possibly the most trenchant ofthe ministries, as they have to constantly find ways to cut down the rations of the acrid food that citizens are forced to eat without making what they are doing obvious.

1984 part 1 sections 7-8

Questions:

1. Why does the government not allow people to have freedom of thought?

2. Why are the proces the only hope?

3. Why does the government want to limit the amount of sex had if they need/want more soldiers to fight for them?

The government feels like people can't be trusted to have their own thoughts, as they know if people had freedom of thought they would rebel. Winston is aware of this, and says, "“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.” (Orwell 93). The government acts in a way that if they say 2+2=5, you have to believe it. So. By saying the freedom is saying the 2+2=4, Winston is saying that freedom is having your own and different beliefs than the government.

1984 part 2 sections 1-3

Relationship between Julia and Winston:

Winston and Julia have a very peculiar relationship; instead of seeing each other for obvious reasons such as mutual love and enjoying each other's company, they meet purely for sex. There are many other things wrong with their relationship. First of all, Winston is married to another women. Secondly, there is a 13 year age gap between the two. Thirdly, their "love" is entirely made up from a reciprocated feeling of hatred towards the Party. Winston even tells Julia, "Listen. The more men you've had, the more I love you. Do you understand that?" (Orwell 138). The Party had decided that it was illegal for people to have sex unless they were married, so the fact that Julia loved sex turned Winston on. Their relationship symbolizes rebellion against the government. Winston hated Julia when he first saw her, but after he learned about her anti-party acts he became sort of infatuated with her.

Big Brother Propaganda

Big Brother is watching you. Big Brother, being the man behind the screen, knows and sees everything. If Big Brother were to say that 2+2=5, the you would live by that rule. However, Big Brother doesn't actaully exist, and the government uses this powerful figure to stuff propaganda down people's throats.

Quotes:

Part IV:

“Folly, folly, his heart kept saying: conscious, gratuitous, suicidal folly. Of all the crimes that a Party member could commit, this one was the least possible to conceal." (Orwell 150).

Part V:

"Syme had vanished." (Orwell 161).

Part VI:

“O’Brien, however, had continued forward in the same movement, laying a friendly hand for a moment on Winston’s arm, so that the two of them were walking side by side." (Orwell 171).

Part VII:

If you loved someone, you loved him, and when you had nothing else to give, you still gave him love” (178).

Part VIII:

“There is no possibility that any perceptible change will happen within our own lifetime" (Orwell 190-191).

Doublespeak and euphemisms in education

The article "Doublespeak and euphemisms in education" begins by talking about the background of Doublespeak. Doublespeak was founded in 1972 by the National Council of Teachers of English and has since been influential upon our world. The government uses doublespeak and euphemisms as a way to make themselves sound better, i.e revenue enhancements instead of tax. The military uses doublespeak similarly, as well. Doublespeak is used to soften up acts of war, as shown with killing a civilian now being collateral damage. In education, euphemisms are used to soften things up for the people terms affect. Instead of calling someone an idiot or moron, they are to be called mentally challenged. The author states that instead of increasing the use of doublespeak, we should allow the process of evolution to occur naturally and slowly, and stop speaking with a "forked tongue."